Different Views: Who is protected by 'stand your ground' laws?

The person carrying a loaded gun may be the only person who is safer

Stand-your-ground laws pander to the NRA and its followers. They also cater to frustrated people who failed to become policemen because they were unable to qualify and to those who, for unexplainable reasons, refuse to participate in society's comprehensive efforts to arm law enforcement but not the "bad guys," many of whom gain that designation by displaying reckless use of their now-legal right to carry a firearm.

States that pass or have passed carry laws perpetuate the notion that the frontier carry was what enabled this country to become civilized. Please refer to history, which shows us that most of civilization came to communities when law enforcement removed the right to carry weapons on one's person.

It is idiotic to assume carrying a concealed weapon makes one safer but does not endanger other citizens who don't know there is a person near them who is carrying.

The case in Florida just adjudicated has led many to begin calling for boycotts of states with carry laws.

It will be interesting to see how economic sanctions work to convince state legislatures that having carry laws doesn't make the state safer for the vast majority of its citizens or visitors.

Potentially, the only person who is safer is the carrier. States should be wary of issuing more concealed permits.

I think all one needs to do is to see how many people have been issued driver's licenses but still use cellphones or drive aggressively.

I know I won't feel safer in a "carry" state with many egomaniacs toting what they feel is protection.

Geoff Smoot

Hebron

The laws protect whoever is left standing, in and out of court

The Tampa Bay Times newspaper has a comprehensive list of Florida stand your ground cases. Google it. Those who want to kill in Florida and be protected from punishment should study these more than 200 cases to learn how to do it correctly.

These laws protect the fastest, most deadly draw. But they don't protect innocent bystanders, like children, from death.

They have protected gang members in a shootout. Also, they protected a bullied 16-year-old white male who stabbed his 14-year-old white bully 12 times, killing him. They have protected people in drug deals gone wrong.

A 20-year-old woman who stabbed an 18-year-old woman wasn't protected. They were having an argument over a love interest.

They protected a night-time jogger carrying $950 and a pistol with laser sights. He fired eight hollow point bullets, killing one of two wanna be robbers after asking them, "You wanna play games?"

They protected a criminal, who shot his criminal roommate, in self-defense, in their home. There were no witnesses.

Some people kill with knives before using a stand your ground defense. But guns are unsurpassed in getting the job done and used most often.

Sometimes stand your ground is denied by the judge, but the jury acquits anyway. The law protects some and not others. It appears best to leave no witnesses.

We are best protected when we avoid crazy, often substance-influenced people, unwise behavior and foolish conflicts. Most often, nobody is completely in the right.

George T. Mason

Salisbury

'Who is protected' is one of many questions surrounding such laws

Recent information indicates that 31 states have some form of "stand your ground" law. Many other states uphold the doctrine through court precedent.

Many self-defense laws require a person who is under an imminent threat of personal harm to retreat from the threat as much as possible before responding with force in self-defense.

Stand-your-ground laws allow one to use force without showing they attempted to avoid confrontation. Some are calling this a "shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later" law.

Others defend the law by countering that it allows people to protect themselves without worrying about whether they have retreated sufficiently before using force.

Why was it necessary for states to institute a law such as this in the first place?

Does the law protect the criminal element as well as the law-abiding citizen? Many average citizens are very afraid of becoming a victim of a crime. What would you do if someone was trying to assault you or a family member? Would you defend yourself or attempt to run and hide?

Yes, the law needs to be defined so one cannot get away with murder. The intent of a stand-your-ground law should be to protect innocent, law-abiding citizens. An individual has a right to defend himself or others from serious bodily harm or injury.

Try as hard as we might, we cannot always run away from an assault or refuse to defend ourselves. We have to be intelligently prepared for any instance.